Sound tube head set



Nov. 16, 1965 E. c. SCANLON 3,217,831

SOUND TUBE HEAD SE:

Filed June 30, 1965 III" 4/ 67 INVENTOR.

EDWARD UMP/.55 sc/m L ON A 7' TOR/V57 United States Patent 3,217,831 SOUND TUBE HEAD SET Edward Charles Scanlon, 13 Richmond Ave., Barrington, RJ. Filed June 30, 1965, Ser. No. 468,312 3 Claims. (Cl. 18124) This invention relates to sound tube head sets and more particularly to independent sound conduits which connect separate transducers with respective separate ear tips.

An object of the present invention is'to provide a sound tube head set for use with passenger seats in moving vehicles, such as airplanes, busses, etc., wherein a program selector is attached to each seat, and each selected program is in stereophonic sound emanating from a tape sound track.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ear phone head set which is a stereophonic sound conduit or a passageway for sound waves emanating from two separate transducers attached to a stereophonic tape.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in part and be pointed out in part in the following specification and claims.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts in the following drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the new and improved ear phone head set.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, exploded, enlarged perspective view, similar to FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed cross sectional perspective view of an ear tip taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 3 and assumes the two half sections shown in FIGURE 3 to be united as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 3 and assumes the two half sections shown in FIGURE 3 to be united as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an ear cushion covering for an ear tip stem.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of ear cushion covering for an ear tip stem.

FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view taken on line 88 of FIGURE 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a sound tube head set, indicated generally by reference numeral 10, includes two ear tips, generally indicated at 11 and 12 and of separate acoustical or sound wave passageway construction.

Ear tip 11, FIGURES l, 2, 3, 4 and 5 consists of a housing 13 provided with a sound or acoustical cavity 14 and an acoustical chamber 15. Housing 13 is also provided with two tubular stems 16, 17 integrally formed thereto. Tubular stem 16 is provided with an intermediate port 18 (see FIGURE 5) in communication with acoustical cavity 14. Tubular stem 17 is provided with an inlet port 20 (see FIGURE 4) in communication with acoustical chamber 15. Housing 13 is also provided with an ear cushion stem 21 integrally formed therewith and provided with an ear port 23 in communication with acoustical chamber 15. Housing 13 is also provided with an intermediate stem 24 provided with a connecting port 25.

Housing 13 as just described may be fabricated from molded plastic. When molded, FIGURE 3 shows that housing 13 may be molded in two halves, which when a solvent is applied to surfaces A and B and said surfaces are pressed together, become an integral unit, as shown in FIGURES l and 2.

FIGURES 1, 2 and 8 illustrates acoustical ear tip 12 which consists of a housing 30 provided with a sound "ice chamber 31, a receiving stem 32 having a receiving port 33, and an ear cushion extension 34 having an acoustical port 35. Receiving port 33, sound chamber 31 and acoustical port 35 constitute a single passageway for the passage of sound waves.

A tube 40 provided with a connecting passageway 41 is attached on one end to intermediate stem 24 and on the other end to receiving stem 32 to thereby unite connecting port 25 with receiving port 33 through connecting passageway 41.

FIGURE 7 illustrates an ear cushion covering 50 provided with an axial core 51 which is adapted to fit over ear cushion stem 21 and/ or ear cushion extension 34.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a modified form of ear cushion 50A which may be substituted for ear cushion covering 50.

An acoustical conduit 60 provided with an acoustical socket 61 and an acoustical passageway 63 'is fastened to tubular stem 17 with acoustical passageway 63 in communication with inlet port 20.

A sound conduit 65 provided with a sound socket 66 and a sound passageway 67 is fastened to tubular stem 16 with sound passageway 67 in communication with intermediate port 18. A bridge may be used to hold acoustical socket 61 in spaced relation with sound socket 66.

In operation, in an airplane carrying a stereophonic tape, which may be a musical tape or a motion picture sound track, the tape is electrically connected to two separate transducers. The two transducers emit pressurized sound waves which will pass into acoustical passageway 63 and sound passageway 67 when acoustical socket 61 and sound socket 66 are, respectively, attached to a trans ducer.

The pressurized sound waves from acoustical passageway 63 pass into and through inlet port 20, acoustical chamber 15 and ear port 23 to a human ear.

The pressurized sound waves from sound passageway 67 pass into and through intermediate port 18, acoustical cavity 14, connecting port 25, connecting passageway 41, receiving port 33, sound chamber 31, acoustical port 35 to a human ear.

A construction as just described results in an unbalanced hearing condition created by two factors. One factor is the result of high pressure sound waves passing through acoustical cavity 14 and acoustical chamber 15. These sound waves cause the ear cushion stem to vibrate in discord with ear cushion extension 34 which has but a single and smaller sound chamber 31 compared to combined acoustical cavity 14 and acoustical chamber 15. The other factor is the time lag at acoustical port 35 created by the distance the sound waves travel through connecting passageway 41.

In order to overcome and correct the unbalanced hearing condition, an air sound aperture is provided in housing 13 to vent the acoustical chamber to the atmosphere and thereby relieve the sound pressure in acoustical chamber 15. This reduces the vibrations set up in ear cushion stem 21 by the pressurized sound waves in acoustical chamber 15 and the pressurized sound waves are slowed by the pressure release through vent 100, whereby the sound waves in acoustical chamber 15 compensate for the distance the sound waves travel from acoustical cavity 14 to acoustical port 35. Air sound aperture 100 creates a sound wave balanced condition and it also eliminates the phase shift of the stereophonic sound waves.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, by way of example, it should be realized that structural changes could be made and other examples given without departing from either the spirit or scope of this invention.

3 What I claim is:

LA sound tube head set for conducting sound waves comprising a first ear tip provided with an acoustical chamber and an acoustical cavity, an ear cushion stem projecting from said first ear tip provided with an ear port in communication with said acoustical chamber, an acoustical conduit provided with an acoustical passageway, means fastening said acoustical conduit to said first ear tip with said acoustical passageway in communication with said acoustical chamber, a sound conduit provided with a sound passageway, means fastening said sound conduit to said first ear tip with said sound passageway in communication with said acoustical cavity, a second ear tip provided with a sound chamber and an ear cushion extension having an acoustical port in communication with said sound chamber, and a tube provided with a connecting passageway, means fastening one end of said tube to said first ear tip with said connecting passageway in communication with said acoustical cavity and means fastening the other end of said tube to said second ear tip with said connecting passageway in communi cation with said sound chamber, and an air sound aperture located in said first ear tip, venting said acoustical chamber to the atmosphere.

2. A sound tube head set for conducting two sound waves independently of each other, comprising a first ear tip consisting of a housing provided with an acoustical chamber and an acoustical cavity, an ear cushion stem projecting from said housing and provided with an ear port in communication with said acoustical chamber, a first tubular stern projecting from said housing and provided with an inlet port in communication with said acoustical chamber, a second tubular stem projecting from said housing and provided with an intermediate port in communication with said acoustical cavity, and an intermediate stem projecting from said housing provided with a connecting port in communication with said acoustical cavity, a second ear tip consisting of a housing having an ear cushion extension, a receiving stem and a sound chamber, an acoustical port in said ear cushion extension in communication with said sound chamber, and a receiving port in said receiving stern in communication with said sound chamber, and a tube provided with a connecting passageway, one end of said tube being attached to said intermediate stem and the other end of said tube being attached to said receiving stem with said connecting passageway uniting said connecting port with said receiving port, an air sound aperture located in said first mentioned housing, venting said acoustical chamber to the atmosphere.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 2 being further characterized by: two ear cushion coverings, each provided with an axial core, adapted to be fitted upon said air cushion stem, and said ear cushion extension, respectively.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,560,303 11/1925 Pape 179--182 2,566,313 9/1951 Cates 181-22 2,827,514 3/1958 Murray 1 3,080,011 3/1963 Henderson 181-23 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SOUND TUBE HEAD SET FOR CONDUCTING SOUND WAVES COMPRISING A FIRST EAR TIP PROVIDED WITH AN ACOUSTICAL CHAMBER AND ACOUSTICAL CAVITY, AN EAR CUSHION STEM PROJECTING FROM SAID FIRST EAR TIP PROVIDED WITH AN EAR PORT IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ACOUSTICAL CHAMBER, AN ACOUSTICAL CONDUIT PROVIDED WITH AN ACOUSTICAL PASSAGEWAY, MEANS FASTENING SAID ACOUSTICAL CONDUIT TO SAID FIRST EAR TIP WITH SAID ACOUSTICAL PASSAGEWAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ACOUSTICAL CHAMBER, A SOUND CONDUIT PROVIDED WITH A SOUND PASSAGEWAY, MEANS FASTENING SAID SOUND CONDUIT TO SAID FIRST EAR TIP WITH SAID SOUND PASSAGEWAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ACOUSTICAL CAVITY, A SECOND EAR TIP PROVIDED WITH A SOUND CHAMBER AND AN EAR CUSHION EXTENSION HAVING AN ACOUSTICAL PORT IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SOUND CHAMBER, AND A TUBE PROVIDED WITH A CONNECTING PASSAGEWAY, MEANS FASTENING ONE END OF SAID TUBE TO SAID FIRST EAR TIP WITH SAID CONNECTING PASSAGEWAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ACOUSTICAL CAVITY AND MEANS FASTENING THE OTHER END OF SAID TUBE TO SAID SECOND EAR TIP WITH SAID CONNECTING PASSAGEWAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SOUND CHAMBER, AND AN AIR SOUND APERTURE LOCATED IN SAID FIRST EAR TIP, VENTING SAID ACOUSTICAL CHAMBER TO THE ATMOSPHERE. 